WASHINGTON – The Obama administration says 13 companies whose deepwater drilling activities were suspended last year may be able to resume drilling without detailed environmental reviews.

Companies will be allowed to resume work at previously drilled wells, as long as they meet new policies and regulations.

The director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Michael Bromwich, says the new policy will accommodate companies whose operations were interrupted by the administration's five-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, while ensuring that the companies can resume previously approved activities.

Bromwich says the firms will not be required to complete a detailed review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The companies must comply with new policies and regulations set up in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill.